Adoption
by made.for.life
Summary: The Bus is called in for maintenance but things aren't as they seem. Couslon and his team are in for some big trouble when, all of a sudden, a trio of non-humans show up to save the team in the Nick of time. But with ever action there is the required payment.


"Shield wants the Bus in for maintenance." May said leaning against the door way.

Coulson looked up from where he was in one of the chairs in the middle of the bus. "What for?"

The woman shrugged. Ward looked up suspiciously. Skye caught the vibe and looked up from her game of Battle Ships with her SO.

"Director Fury will be meeting us there." The Asian woman said.

Coulson's eyes narrowed immediately and slid to Skye. They shared a glance then he looked at the floor.

"All the better then. Everyone can get out of the sky for a bit and I can speak with the Director."

May raised a brow. "From what I heard it sounds like we're all in trouble."

Ward stiffened dramatically.

Skye's eyes opened wide at his reaction. "That bad?"

The agent nodded.

"How soon can we set down?" Coulson asked tensely.

May nodded toward the cab. "Two hours until the coordinates they sent up."

"Where?" Ward asked.

"Arizona." She responded.

He leaned back a bit more relaxed.

"Is that good?" Skye prompted cocking her head slightly.

Coulson smirked slightly as May left. "Well it's not a major detention facility and not a hospital so we might be okay."

"Hospital?" She said giving them a 'really' look.

Ward turned back to examine his part of the game board. "There, they can get rid of people and make it look like an accident."

Skye lifted her brows exaggeratedly. "Okay then mister sunshine and rainbows. E-13."

"Miss."

* * *

The plane set down with utter delicacy onto the floor of the bunker. It was designed like huge football stadium. The top had opened to swallow them down into the ground. It remained open while the team gathered at the back of the plane. It was tense. Coulson stood at the front with his hand crossed lightly indicating his distemper. Skye hung close to Ward's side. May was at Coulson's other side with her arms behind her back. The door dropped slowly like an all too old sealed capsule being opened. They stepped out.

"The team of Philip Coulson, this is Shield security, come out with your hands up!" Someone was yelling through a megaphone.

"What?" Skye said shrilly.

"You are under arrest for misconduct." They were completely surrounded by three rings of soldiers with heavy rifles. "Any attempts to escape will be followed by immediate final penalty."

"Final penalty?" Fitz said nervously.

Ward didn't look back. "Death."

Coulson breathed in sharply as if the word itself stirred him. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded loudly enough.

"Shield business." A voice answered. Nick Fury stood with his arms crossed, looking at them without seeing them.

"Fury." The older agent said with anger. He started forward.

A shot hit the ground near his foot. These guys weren't joking. They really meant it.

"Stay where you are or you will be fired upon."

What startled them the most was an internal threat as opposed to an external one. "Information Couslon." May said coming to the front of them and turning around. "You forgot the code. You started knowing exactly what you didn't need to know."

"May?" He asked in confusion.

The Asian agent turned on her feet and walked through the rings of guards. They let her past.

"My apologizes Agent Coulson." Fury nodded. "There are things we can't allow people to go on knowing."

Coulson started talking fast. "Ward, Simmons and Fitz don't know anything. They haven't heard a word about what GH is. Even our top scientist is no closer to understanding it. They are clean, Fury."

"You think we can let them go after they've seen all this?" He answered gesturing to the soldiers.

"What about Skye?" Coulson said angrily. "She's just a child. A civilian too. It's against protocol."

Fury didn't even frown. "You made her a non-civilian as soon as you opened your mouth."

Coulson looked like he wanted to protest more but stopped and sighed. "So you million dollar project goes down the drain."

"It only works until the project knows it's a project." Fury said raising his hand to give the command to fire.

Two huge pulses of energy suddenly hit the ground. One took up the space immediately inside the circle of soldiers, the other just outside it. The light blinded the crowd. Coulson raised his arms over his face. The light faded leaving the almost familiar signs of the Asgardian method of travel. Two beings stood in the center in front of the Shield team. They were human in figure. One was taller than Nick Fury and the other had an almost adolescent look to them. They were cloaked in fairly close fitting clothes nearly resembling Earth's. The biggest difference was the pale blue skin underneath.

The larger creature raised its hands. "Please lower your weaponry." It said in a low voice in perfect English.

Not a soul dared to move. The forgotten other thing that was transported outside the circle entered, his hammer swinging by his side.

"Son of Coul it is gladdening to see you again." Thor greeted calmly. "And you as well Lord of Shield."

The two recipients of his greeting nodded in confusion. Thor nodded at the two blue figures.

"Are they with you?" Fury asked in a huff.

Thor nodded. "They are. Or more to the point they asked me to accompany them.

Fury suddenly got a threatened look to his eye. "And what are your intentions here?"

"Peaceful." The taller blue one said. "And I hope to keep them that way."

The leader of Shield paused then put his hand down and waved it. "Cap it for now." He told the soldiers then looked back to the off-worlders. "I hope so as well."

The blonde Asgardian sighed in relief.

"Can I ask without sounding rude," Fury started, "What are you?"

The tallest figure nodded. "My offspring and I are from a race called Kree. We know your race well."

"Do you?" Fury asked. "Would you care to come with us for a bit? We can discuss your visit to Earth."

"Actually." Thor interrupted. "My companions have business with the team of Philip Coulson alone. I will explain their situation if you allow them to leave with this small team in their airship."

Fury's eye narrowed and he paused. "You'll explain it all?"

Thor nodded. Fury turned his head to May and gave it a nudge toward Coulson and the others. She nodded and re-approached the team. Coulson looked at her without any expression. The two blue creature glanced behind themselves for the first time and their dark eyes alighted on the group. They looked back and the shorter one's long hair swung into place.

"Fine." The black guy said. He waved a hand at the group. "You all clear out. Everyone up. Thor you're with me."

The soldiers moved away glancing at blue aliens.

Thor clapped the taller on the arm. "Best of luck to you." He said warmly. "I am very glad you are alive, Son of Coul." With that he turned away.

The two Kree turned around.

"Shall we?" The father-like one asked holding out a hand toward the ship.

Coulson startled out of his daze. "Of course. Welcome aboard."

Ward and Skye shared a glance. Fitz and Simmons went immediately into the lab. May passed them all without a second glance to get the plane back in the air. Phil, Ward, and Skye joined Fitz and Simmons on one side of the control board. The Kree walked to the other side.

"Um." Simmons fidgeted. "Please have a seat?"

The older Kree chuckled sitting down and crossing his heels. "Please don't be upset by our presence. We mean you no harm and only seek benefit for every being here."

Coulson twitched. There was a kind of scratching feeling in his chest. Ward just leaned against the wall as casually as nervousness could allow.

"I am, as you would say here, Ghelnen." He said with a smile.

The large Kree looked over at his child expectantly. The other looked at him straight faced. He sighed.

"Are you going to introduce yourself?"

"Oh, am I allowed to talk now?" This one's voice was much higher and feminine. It was also rather impertinent. "I thought my job was to stay quiet and watch." She shook her head as Ghelnen rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Hello, I'm Lehakal. My friends call me Lee." She said brightly making eye contact with Skye. "Love your hair by the way. Awesome color."

Skye nodded slowly. "Thanks." She paused. "Wow. I like you guys a lot better than the last aliens we met. I'm Skye. Mister silent over there is Ward." She looked expectantly at Coulson.

"Phil Coulson." He answered distractedly.

Skye gave a curious look but continued. "And these are our scientists, Fitz and Simmons."

"Hi." Simmons said nervously.

"A pleasure to meet you all." Ghelnen asnswered.

"You're very fluent at English." Ward commented.

They both nodded. "I've studied on your world before and I know most of the common languages." The older answered.

"I'm still trying to get Chinese but I have English pretty much down." The female answered.

There was silence for a few moments. Not uncomfortable but gauging almost.

"Well." The large Kree leaned forward. "As much as I would love to continue with pleasantries forever there is a more serious matter I must bring up."

Everyone tensed. The Kree shifted reaching into the bag hanging off his shoulder. He pulled out something and set it on the top of the holodesk. In a seemingly innocent capped glass jar, a lovely blue liquid swirled slightly as it settled. Coulson paled dramatically. Fitz had long ago lost all color in his face but Simmons was barely restraining herself. A huge sample of exactly what she had been trying to find! Sitting right there! Ward just watched like he usually did.

"I can tell you recognize it." Ghelnen said calmly. "There are two of you who had ingested it before." He looked directly at Skye then Coulson.

The older agent swallowed. The liquid tilted in its jar as the plane finally started climbing into the air. Skye scanned the alien's face for any sign of anger or fear.

"You can tell." Coulson said. It was more of a statement then a question.

Ghelnen nodded slowly. He sat forward in his chair leaning on his elbows. "This is going to sound very strange but I'll offer it as a trade. If the two of you will ingest a small quantity more of this, your scientist may have the rest. I can tell she would very much like to study it. I will also personally answer all of your questions."

"That's crazy." Ward exclaimed. "They did it once and we don't know"

"Quiet Ward." Coulson silenced him.

He looked contemplatively at the jar. Skye tipped her head at the jar then flicked her eyes to the alien. The space next to her heart scratched uncomfortably. She touched it unconsciously. Ghelnen tracked her movement with his brown-black eyes.

"I assure you it will cause you no harm." He said softly.

"And you'll tell us everything?" Coulson asked.

Simmons spun around. "Sir, you're not actually thinking of doing this are you?"

"No Simmons. I'm decided on the matter." He said firmly. "As is, I think, Skye as well."

She nodded. "I'm game. It saved my life before."

Ghelnen uncapped the jar carefully ad stood to hand it across the table. Skye reached for it. Coulson took it first.

"Hey!" Skye complained.

The agent just hoisted the glass in a toast with a half smirk. "Age before beauty."

He put the edge to his lips and tipped it back bracing for a bitter slime flavor. He swallowed a small mouthful then a larger one before taking a bit more. He put his hand down and contemplated the flavor before swallowing the last bit.

He handed it to Skye. "Interesting." Coulson wiped his mouth.

She watched him to see what she was getting herself into but shrugged and took a mouthful with less caution then Coulson, then another. Skye set it on the table and Ghelnen picked it up to recap it.

"That was really, like deadly sweet." She said touching her lips. "Like liquid sugar."

The alien smiled stretching his arm out to hand off the jar. "It was not created to be unpleasant. Please do not let any of this out of your hands. No one else drinks it. No one else gets it in their blood stream without at least a seventy percent dilution all right?"

Simmons nodded grabbing it quickly as if it would escape her. There was a good eighth of the jar left and many, many tests she had to run.

"Ick." Lehakal suddenly shuddered. "It's like watching someone drink a baby."

"What?" Skye nearly shrieked.

"Easy." The larger Kree soothed. He put a hand on the smaller's head and rubbed it harshly. "Lee didn't mean what she said."

"Ow." The other alien complained.

Ghelnen gave her a scornful look then looked back up. "It's just not something one normally drinks. Like I said before it was nothing harmful at all." He spoke quickly in low tones watching the color slowly returning to the two agents. "You are both just fine."

Coulson sat down.

"How do feel sir?" Fitz asked hesitantly.

He looked up at his team. "Honestly? Great. I feel." He frowned thinking. "I don't know, just, good."

"Same here." Skye leaned back in her chair.

"So." Coulson said kind of relaxed. "You want to tell us what we just got ourselves into?"

"Of course." Ghelnen sat down and stretched. "It will take a large portion of time and mass of patience if you'll forgive me."

Ward turned a chair around and sat straddling the back of it. The two scientists found space on the table tops to sit.

"Comfortable?" Coulson asked sarcastically.

Ward tapped his feet. "Yep." He said with a half-smile.

The older alien watched amused.

"Feel free." Coulson said to him.

He blue skinned being nodded. "The fluid in question both times is a kind of reproductive fluid. Don't get the wrong impression." He said to the wide-eyed humans. "You won't conceive a child or anything like that. We breed rather differently on our world."

"So what does it mean that we drank it?" Skye asked. "And whose did we just drink?"

"It means you're adopted." Lehakal put in.

"Adopted?" Coulson frowned.

Ghelnen nodded. A bit of color came to his face as he smiled sadly. His eyes focused on his hands. Lehakal looked suddenly sorrowful.

"Sorry Kilst." She looked away.

The huge Kree took a deep shuddering breath. "It's all right." He looked up. "When you saw him, did he look terrible?"

Coulson swallowed knowing immediately what he was talking about. "Yeah."

Ghelnen nodded, he smiled slightly. "His name was Tikio. A warrior in our society. Extraordinarily good at what he did. Also very softhearted. He was alive, did you know that?"

Skye shook her head.

"A-alive?" Coulson felt a rattle run through his body. Guilt stung him. Half a body. Half a living, thinking body? He felt sick.

"Don't feel guilt." The Kree looked right at him. "He was finished with life when he lost his body. But he was conscious. He knew you. He _chose_ to save you. Three people were given his, we call it et-est. Three people received it but only two actually received its help. It wouldn't work now if there was any left."

"How do you know this?" Ward asked a bit suspicious.

Ghelnen acknowledged him. "Tikio and I had a mind link. He was my mate."

"He was your mate." Skye processed. "And you two had her? Lee?" She nodded to other Kree.

"Yeah." Lehakal answered. "They were my Kilst and my Kelst. Or uh, like. For English. Like mom and dad? I think."

Ghelnen nodded. "That's approximately right. Our children are created when the secreted et-est of two or three beings is mixed. That liquid's basis is creation of life."

"Which would be why it holds such incredible healing properties." Simmons burst out.

"Good." The Kree nodded. "You're very bright."

"Thank you sir." Simmons stuttered.

He waved a blue hand. "Just Ghelnen please. None of this sir stuff."

Fitz, who hadn't been following the conversation, suddenly blurted. "But that doesn't explain why you had them drink more."

Ghelnen dropped his head to his hands. "That was a bit more of a personal reason than anything else." He took a breath as if the words weighed heavily on his lungs. "When Tikio allowed his et-est to heal you, he took you on as his own offspring. You were his and you were mine but you weren't mine. Having you intake even a small portion of my et-est allowed me to accept you as full children of our family. Having not done so it would be like…" He paused. "On Earth if two partners had a child and the one refused to acknowledge its existence. It would have insulted my memory of him and his memory of me in the life beyond this."

There was a long pause.

Ghelnen sighed. "It appears I've made you uncomfortable."

Coulson sat forward. "Oddly enough not so much." He looked contemplative. "Just a lot to think about."

"Hey, it's even freakier for me." Lehakal put in. "I have two siblings from another world." She paused. "Actually I take it back, it's pretty cool. Nillinl will be jealous."

"Okay, hang on." Skye leaned forward and put her hands around her head. "Just. Hang on. So you adopted us?"

Ghelnen nodded.

"Using some magic sugar water?"

"Et-est." He corrected.

"And now … what happens?" She said slowly.

Ghelnen crossed his legs. "That would be the question wouldn't it? My mission is complete. It is up to you what comes next. I for one would like to stay with you a bit. If you prefer not we can vanish without ever needing to see us again. We will not force our presence upon you."

Coulson rubbed at his face with both hands. "Can." He stopped to collect his thoughts. "Can you give us a night? People think their best at night."

"Of course." Ghelnen said with a soft smile.

Everyone stood up with him minus the larger Kree.

"I'm not sure we have a place to sleep someone quite your size…" Coulson trailed off.

Ghelnen nodded. "I am vastly older than Lehakal. Kree need only sleep once every twelve and a half of your earth days when they reach my age. I will stay up and assist your bright little scientist who has no intention of sleeping."

Simmons nodded. "It's true sir and the more I know about this the better." She tapped it lightly.

"Well I'm not staying up." Lehakal put in. "I'll sleep on the floor if I have to but that trip was tiring."

Skye tilted her head. "I think there's an extra bed?" She looked at Coulson for permission. He nodded. "Yeah." She repeated. "Okay, this way."

* * *

Skye was sitting with her legs curled to the side under her laptop. It was quite early in the morning. Ward was off working out somewhere. There wasn't even any good news this morning. Just kind of boring. She looked out the window. Clouds. Skye sighed. It was just these types of times she felt kind of useless and out of place. Someone flopped down across from her and she jumped.

"Morning to you too." Lehakal said with a smirk.

Skye laughed nervously. "Sorry."

"Hey it's all good." The Kree said. "Do you have wireless internet on this plane?"

"Yeah." Skye said patting her laptop.

"Can I check my Skype then?"

Skye started and nearly knocked the thing off her lap. "Skype? You have a Skype?"

Lehakal nodded. "Uh, yeah. Doesn't everyone?"

"I mean like." She leaned forward. "You have that on your planet? It connects here? You can access it? Anywhere?"

Lehakal rolled her eyes. "Isn't that the basis of internet? Don't ask me how it connects trans-galactic. Kilst would probably know. He knows all that … science and … stuff. I can do media though. Skype. Facebook. Youtube."

"Is ahhhhh." The girl thought. "Kilst? Is he still down with Simmons?"

The Kree's eyes softened slightly. "Can you do me a favor? Can you call him that, all the time?"

Skye hesitated. "Well. What does it mean?"

"It's just like dad or something like that in your language." Lehakal shrugged.

"Oh yeah. Sure." Skye said. "Why?"

The blue skinned alien winked. "Just reasons. Can I try to get on Skype?"

"Yeah."

Skye moved over to let the other sit next to her. Lehakal slid in next to her. She receive the machine. Ran her fingers over the keys.

"Nice." Lehakal commented.

She opened the icon and logged out of Skye's account.

"Lee." The brunette said suddenly.

The Kree looked up. "Yeah?"

"That's what you wanted to be called right?"

Lehakal nodded. "Yes if you can."

"I think I can manage that." She responded seriously.

They started intently for a seconds. Then Lehakal smirked and they both started laughing. The Kree hacked in her username and password.

Skye gave an appreciative nod. "Wow. Lots of friends."

Lehakal laughed. "Actually, it's mostly family. I guess your extended family too."

"I never had a family." Skye said matter-of-factly, looking at the three hundred different contacts. "Even though they're not really mine, it's cool to hear."

"Hey, they are yours." The Kree scrunched her brow. "You have the same Kilst and Kelst. Same-ish DNA in your blood."

A message popped up almost immediately. _Leeeeeeeeeee! You weren't there today. Where are you!?_

"Wait, are these in English?" Skye asked curiously.

"Oh! I have it set to translate to English." She flipped it to several languages then back. "I had it to English to help with the total submersion learning thing. I had to speed refresh myself. I've been studying Earth and especially English for years."

"Cool." Skye said.

Lehakal started responding to messages as fast as they were coming in. Skye just watched fascinated.

"Who's that?" She pointed.

The Kree glanced down. "That's Nieheil. He's our ….. hang on …. Cousin! That's it. Cousin."

"Cousin? So he's Kilst's sibling's son?"

"Yep. Kilst has a brother and a sister. Kelst has." She paused. "Had. No, they're still alive." Lehakal thought. "Okay we have a large family of Kelst's side. Four brothers, six sisters."

"Oh my God." The girl rubbed her head. "That's a huge family. Do they all have kids?"

The Kree shook her head waving her black and blue tinged hair. "Some of them are too young. Older than me but not old enough actually start making est yet."

"What age is that?"

Lehakal made a face. "That's like the exact wrong question to ask me. I'm really bad at the Earth time conversion. I probably couldn't even tell you my own age. It's like multiply by seven and three fours or something like that."

"Math. Yuck." Skye tapped the electronic device. "Computers and stuff. That's more my style."

"Yes! Thank you." The Kree huffed. "Kilst doesn't get it. He's so out of all the tech and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I love him with my whole heart but he can barely email anyone."

Skye laughed. "Yeah, I know people like that. Who's that?" She pointed.

Lehakal flushed a bit. "That's um, a friend of mine. Kind of. I guess he's like your Grant yeah?"

"What bossy and socially awkward?" The other giggled.

"That too but also rather built physically and the only real reason you bother to do any physical activity so you can watch their muscles flex." The Kree poked a finger at her side.

Skye jumped then grinned broadly. "Guilty as charged."

"Takes one to know one."

They both burst out laughing hard. Lehakal gripped her sides laughing hard. Skye swung her head back.

"What are you two doing?" Ward came up quirking an eyebrow with a semi-amused smile.

The two girls looked at him. Then they glanced at each other. They looked back and the dam broke. Lehakal had to put the laptop on the table to keep from crushing it. Ward just stood there watching with wide eyes as the Kree and his junior agent went into a fit of hysteric laughter.

"I see." He finally said and walked away even more confused than he had been to begin with.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Skye said when they had calmed a bit.

"Seems like it." Lehakal chuckled. "Do you think we could summon our other sibling that way?"

"Coulson?" Skye shrugged. "I dunno. He doesn't seem to have as much of a formula as other people do."

"Who doesn't?"

Skye leaned forward and put her head on the table to cover her laughter. "Never mind then. Forget what I said. The saying is always right."

The Kree chuckled mutedly. "Good morning."

"Morning." Coulson said tiredly.

"You okay?" Skye asked getting serious almost immediately.

The other's smile faded too. They looked at the male. He had dark marks under his eyes. Coulson sat down heavily sliding into the bench seat until he was against the wall.

"Do you need me to get Kilst? Or one of your doctors?" The Kree stood up half way with worry.

A hand landed on his shoulder. They all looked up and over. Ghelnen nodded calmly for her to sit. He neatly packed himself in next to Coulson in a way that trapped the man but also gave him space to move.

"Mister Coulson, solely because Lady Simmons and I were up all night was no reason for you to not sleep." He said softly.

"I slept." The agent objected quickly. "Not restfully but I did sleep."

"I highly doubt that." Skye put in.

Coulson sent her a glare.

The larger Kree leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. "I believe I told you to let go of the guilt you held."

Coulson sighed heavily and put his elbows on the table. Lehakal put the laptop down and passed it to Skye. The girl put it on the floor next to her. All three sets of eyes turned to Coulson.

He frowned. "I guess I just can't let it go. I didn't get a chance to know this being but he adopted myself and one of my team. He was killed because of our lack of knowledge of the base. There's also just a certain guilt that stems from our species in general."

"I don't think we have a species anymore." Skye commented.

Lehakal nudged her. "Very true."

Ghelnen gave them a hard look and they quieted. "First off I told you before, hold no guilt for Tikio's passing. He was dead before he reached the hands of humankind. Only his consciousness was extended. Forced into a continued existence. Humans had nothing to do with his death, alright?"

Coulson nodded keeping his arm in front of his face.

Ghelnen sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps this would be better continued in your office?"

He stood to allow the agent out. The Kree nodded to his two daughters. They nodded back, concerned. A blue hand pressed between Coulson's shoulder blades to guide him forward. They, thankfully, met no one as they passed through the lab and to the upper floors. They reached the office and Ghelnen closed the door behind them. Coulson sat down heavily at his desk. The tall alien leaned against the wall looking over the things on the shelves.

"I thought he was a terrible Kree the first time I met him." Ghelnen started not looking at the adopted son. "A warrior through and through. A muscly blockhead. No emotion toward others. I hated him. We went to school together and I loved being able to hate him that close. He didn't know my name but that wasn't necessary. I just had to beat him in everything. He was a good student, I would be the best. He swam far, I doubled it. Always privately though. He didn't know I was trying to outdo him."

The Kree shifted his eyes up slightly. He found the human's eyes and Coulson quickly looked away. Ghelnen just smile and continued.

"One day though, I couldn't hate him anymore. We aren't an entirely peaceful race. We still have, what you would call, bullies. I watched Tikio take on five to make them leave a younger student alone. I guess at that point I figured out that I loved him." Ghelnen chuckled. "Suddenly it wasn't okay that he didn't know me. I couldn't stop fighting to be ahead of him though. That was what Kree expected of me now so I kept it up. Through schooling. I did my first distance study on Earth early. It was I think my first year at Advance Schooling, kind of like your Universities, I found out he was at the same school. I think I was glad and upset at the same time. We had a class together. The first day he smiled and greeted me by my name." Ghelnen started laughing. "It sounds rather silly I suppose but that was all it took for me. That day we became friends and more."

"Did he know you?" Coulson asked a bit sheepishly. "I mean your name but …"

"Yes." The taller being sat down across from the agent. "He told me he had been watching me as long as I had been watching him. My own Kilst and Kelst were rather reluctant with it. On our planet there are fifteen, what you would call, genders or sexes. His and my own didn't usually combine. Gender is partially delegated by career. Mine was and is that of a scribe, a scholar of other worlds and cultures. Tikio was a warrior. You can see where there may have been some conflict."

Coulson smiled ever so slightly looking at the backs of his hands. A bit of his cellist touched his mind lightly. Ghelnen sat with him quietly for a long time watching him. Did she remember him? Did she wonder where he was? Coulson finally looked back and jerked back to reality.

"Sorry." He said.

"Don't apologize. You are grappling with more than your due. Think if you need. You are safe." The Kree shushed supportively.

The agent paused. "Regardless, please continue."

Ghelnen nodded. "There's not much more to say. We became a pair. We made Lehakal. She grew very rapidly into the lovely, if not tenacious, being she is. A long time after that but not so very long ago, Tikio received a mission." The Kree crossed his hands. "Another thing about our race is we are born with the sense of exactly when we are going to die. A curse and blessing. This was his. He would not make it home. We mourned before he left." The sound stopped and two mouths drew in a shuddering breath through heavy throats. "The terrible thing was that he didn't die. I could feel him." He touched his head. "I could feel his anger, submission, pain but he had desperately locked his location away. Tikio kept us away to save us the pain. It was until he perished that I felt the double tug on my chest that was Skye and you." He waved a hand. "And here we are."

Coulson wiped his face covertly. "I'm so." He voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry."

He barely got the words out. A hand came to his back warmly. It rubbed a circle around his spine and Coulson choked back his tears.

"It's alright." Ghelnen said. "He wanted you to live. Honor him by doing so and you honor me as well."

A feeling welled up in Coulson's chest. It was just warmth but also pride. Pride and a kind of childish need to impress, to help. He stood up quickly and turned, throwing himself forward. Ghelnen caught him with a concerned look. The agent looped his arms around the Kree and put his face on his shoulder. The larger being gently held him up and swayed side to side just letting Coulson use his shoulder.

"It's okay. It's alright. You're fine." He whispered over and over again.

Coulson shook silently. Years of SHIELD training barely kept the sobs in his throat. They stood there for a long time. Coulson finally let go and dried his face.

"Sorry." He said grabbing a tissue out of the box in his desk.

Ghelnen just smiled. "Mister Coulson,"

"Phil." The agent interrupted. "Please, call me Phil."

"Phil." The Kree said thoughtfully. "I won't judge and it stays between us. Every person could use someone who is always on their side."

That made the man chuckle. "My team is usually on my side."

They shared a look. Ghelnen beamed.

"I know. I know." Coulson said feeling chided.

The Kree tapped him on his lower spine. "Come on, your sisters are fretting. As is the rest of your team."

Coulson glanced in the mirror for marks of his momentary loss of composure.

"You're fine." Ghelnen said, then frowned and swiped the agent's cheek with a light blue finger. "Now you're fine."

They walked out and Ghelnen ducked his head out of the door way. Coulson hung back a bit to stay by the slow moving Kree's side. Everyone was sitting around the Holo-table. The small conversation cut off as they walked in.

"Hey AC." Skye greeted with a grin that held a question.

He nodded. "Hello."

Lehakal looked past him to meet her Kilst's eyes. He blinked calmly. The being walked over and sat down after giving Coulson one more slight tap on his lower spine.

Skye leaned over to the Kree next to her. "Is that, like, a thing?" She whispered as Ghelnen started talking to Ward and Simmons, fielding their probing questions.

"What?" She asked dragging her eyes off Coulson.

Skye made a tapping motion. "That back touching thing. You did it to me earlier."

"Oh! That." Lehakal bobbed her head. "Yeah. It's like some kind of legend or something based." She paused. "I can remember all the human culture but my own alludes me." The Kree groaned in good humor.

"I know that feeling." Skye patted her knee with a laugh.

Lehakal shrugged. "Hey Kilst?"

The largest figure looked up calmly. "Yes?"

"Those uh, like patting things we do? The one that no one ever named." She made the motion in the air. "I forget what it's for."

The elder nodded. "If you'll wait a moment for this group to have their fill of knowledge."

"No, please sir." Fitz interrupted. "We all would like to hear any bit about your culture."

Ghelnen looked about and saw all the eyes watching intently. "Very well." He leaned back and shuffled his shoulders a bit. The Kree set his hands atop his knee. "As Lehakal stated earlier, this gesture was never formally named. It is a simple one. A gentle pressure or quick touch to a being's lower spine. It rather relates to the human saying 'I've got your back' but ours goes a bit deeper." He suddenly looked at his offspring. "Name the one who created you."

Lehakal growled. "I hate pop quizzes." She paused. "Steste."

Her Kilst nodded. "Very good." He glanced around at everyone. "Our legends go that a great being exist in solitude upon our planet. This good Father decided to inhabit that world with intelligent life to care for the non-intelligent life. In each of his fifteen hands he took a bit of our planet and squeezed." He made the motion with his hand. "The rock was crushed into a line. The line of bones you call the spine. We believe it was the place of origin for our fifteen genders. That original part is called, simply, the St. The lower third of the spine."

"That's why so many of our words have that syllable in them." Lehakal put in. "Like Et-est. Kilst. Kelst."

Skye was leaning forward listening. Coulson kind of shivered. He could distinctly feel his spine as it tingled the more he thought about it.

"Correct." Ghelnen nodded. "So the gesture is a reminder of the beginning. Of the fact that you have someone who made you and that you are merely mortal. But it is also a reminder that there are people that care very much that you are alive and that they will support you as much as your spine does the rest of your body."

Coulson smiled secretly.

"That's so cute." Skye nearly squealed.

Lehakal shrugged. "It's a nice thing to do."

Ward just had an interested look on his face.

"So back to the, apologies but, interrogation." Simmons joked. "Where does the et-est come from?"

The Kree pointed to the right side of his chest. "Its source is contained in our upper chest cavity on the opposite side from the heart."

"How do you retrieve it there?" Fitz asked confused.

The younger Kree blushed bright red against her blue skin. "That is not a question that you ask in civilized company." She admonished.

Fitz looked up in horror. "I am so sorry."

Ghelnen just laughed. "It's quite alright. I do understand. There are certain areas which it stores in glands just below the skin. When one is with one's partner it is brought to the surface."

Lehakal made a face. "Gross." She sat upright suddenly. "Oh! Kilst, Skye and I wanted to show you something."

He followed the two females out as they chattered at him.

Fitz leaned back covering his face. "And to think, we were going to ask for more of a sample."

Ward chuckled. "I'm kinda sorry you didn't. I don't think the girl one could have gone any redder."

"Be nice Ward." Coulson chided. "What did you need more for?"

"Experiments." Fitz and Simmons answered in sync.

"You see, sir," Simmons stood up. "The configuration of the biochemical of this substance is so extraordinarily adaptable that there is no telling what it could do. There is enough carbon in a single drop to chemically structure an elephant."

"Wow." Coulson crossed his arms, impressed.

"Yeah, more than wow." Fitz said.

There was excited chatter from the other room and Coulson went to join his family. As soon as he left the agent turned to each other. They shared a deep look and turned back to the room silently.

* * *

The two Kree spent three days aboard the mighty Bus. Three days understanding human culture. Skye and Coulson spent three days with a real family. Three days learning to understand another race and another way of life. These three days in a careful pattern circling the Shield base. But three days is a set time. Merely three of the thousands of days in a life time.

Ticking sounds filled the office as the human said goodbye to the one he talking to over the computer. The alien over his shoulder nodded proudly. He smiled and patted the man's back.

"And that's how you work Skype." Ghelnen stood back up from his place leaning over his oldest offspring's shoulders.

They had spent the morning getting Coulson a Skype. He was registered and had figured out how to communicate with Skye and Lehakal in the other room. Coulson had gained seven contacts in the short period of time. They had added several of their new family. He hadn't spoken with any of them yet but they were there at least.

"I am confident in your abilities to use this method of communication Phil, however outdated it apparently is on this planet." The tall Kree nodded with a smile. "We will be able to talk. I can introduce you to various other family members as well."

"I'd like that." Coulson said looking over the list of other beings he had already been connected with. "I'd like that very much. Will you bring them to visit with you?"

The Kree laughed. "Perhaps. Maybe you and Skye can come and see our world. It has about the same atmosphere and we have had human beings there before. Your team is of course welcome."

Coulson cocked his head imagining this. "That would be interesting." He looked down at his hands, flexing them gently.

"You'll be alright." Ghelnen put a blue hand on his hand and rubbed it gently.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon." Coulson confided softly in the older of the Kree is the secrecy of his office.

It had rather become a habit of him to tell the mighty Kree things privately. They convened in Coulson's office and he told everything. It just seemed safe. Like when he confided in his mother before she died. Very relaxing to just let the gushing pressure and confusion pour out the best he could. Now it would end.

Ghelnen chuckled. "Well we do have to get back and tell everyone about you don't we?" He stepped around to the other side of the desk near the door.

That brought a small smile to the agent's face. Just a small one but a smile none the less. It burned a bit from withheld emotion. He stood and walked around the desk to lean on it from the other side. The door opened causing them both to turn. The two girls walked in looking red eyed and sniffley.

"How you two aren't upset?" Skye asked with slight accusation in her voice.

Coulson opened his mouth to talk but he to close it and swallow hard to keep his voice from cracking. He just shook his head.

Ghelnen just sighed. He pulled all three of his children into a hug. "I'm not so sad. When I say farewell, I don't truly mean it. I believe it is more your human expression, 'See you soon' that I mean. We can keep in touch no matter how far the distance."

"I'll message you every week okay?" Lehakal huffed.

Skye smiled. "You'd better or I'll come find you." She sniffed.

Ghelnen chaffed her back affectionately. There was a bit of a jerk as the plane landed. Lehakal gripped Coulson and Skye tightly as the Kilst of them all released the group.

The large Kree inspected his brood. "I suspect it is time for us to depart."

The trio broke apart. Coulson chaffed at his face. He was not crying. Not even a little. They exited Coulson's office and proceeded into the lab area. The male Kree firmly shook hands with the two scientists and Ward. They silently smiled and accepted. There was a heavy aura of sorrow.

"Would all of you relax?" Ghelnen sighed. "Honestly. It's not for good."

"We'll certainly miss speaking with you." Simmons said.

Fitz huffed a laugh. "More like interrogating them."

Ward shook his head. "Regardless sir, it's been an honor having you here and we can't thank you enough for your sacrifice and your mate's as well."

"He would have been honored to meet you, Tikio would have. Keep yourself alive yeah?" A blue hand clapped his shoulder in a friendly manner.

The ramp dropped. Thankfully there was no ring of soldiers, no firing squad. Fury wasn't even present. Neither was Thor. There was just the huge open space. The two Kree stepped out of the plane glancing back once with matching grins. When they reached a fair distance from the plane they turned aroud.

"Heimdall." Ghelnen called after a long pause. "We are ready – if somewhat reluctant – to return home."

Lehakal waved as the blast of light illuminated the two figures. It brightened to the threshold of pain then faded leaving only the trace patterns of Asgardian travel. The group stood there for a moment. One of the young boys, used to run messages around the base, paused to walk slowly around the circle then walked fearfully up the ramp.

"Agent Philip Coulson?" The young male held out the file questioningly.

The agent took the file and nodded. The little blonde kid ran away as fast as he could. Coulson sighed and opened the file. He huffed and wiped his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Skye tried to peek over his shoulder.

He flicked the file closed. "Wrong? Well, the team's off the hook but."

He handed the file to May. She looked it over.

"What sir?" Ward asked. "Please don't use the dramatic pause on us."

May raised her brows and refolded the file folder.

Coulson half smiled. "The Bus really is due for maintenance."


End file.
